Rainn Wilson on Environmental Activism and Why He’s “Greatly Disappointed That So Few Celebrities Are Speaking Up About It”
The actor, who co-founded climate change organization Climate Basecamp, is taking part in the Environmental Media Association's Impact Summit on June 4.
“I had literally been thinking to myself, Rainn, you need to get off your ass and do something about climate change. If this is really important to you, you need to do more than send out an occasional angry tweet, because, let’s face it, that’s what most people in Hollywood do.”
And so began Rainn Wilson‘s foray into environmental activism six years ago, when he met and teamed with professor Gail Whiteman for their Climate Basecamp initiative, which combines science and culture — approaching climate change via the lenses of food, entertainment, sports, fashion and music.
Wilson and Whiteman will take part in a panel discussing Climate Basecamp at the Environmental Media Association Impact Summit, taking place on June 4 and 5 in Los Angeles, alongside fellow speakers including Hillary Clinton, Phil Rosenthal, Ted Danson, Eli Roth, Issa López, Lance Bass and Ed Begley Jr. The annual event unites Hollywood environmentalists with a wide range of innovators, entrepreneurs, creatives and corporations to discuss bringing sustainability to the forefront.
Before co-founding Climate Basecamp with Wilson, Whiteman launched Arctic Basecamp, which united a team of Arctic experts and scientists who speak of Arctic risk and encourage bold climate action. After success with that organization, the two then wanted to focus on more of a pop culture approach to the message of climate change.